Debate Issues Quotes

             In the two articles that I read this week by Jill Soloway and Amy Chozick they bother address how women are treated in today’s society in particular politics. Soloway focuses on the recent “locker room” talk of Donald Trump. She says that Trumps’ locker room talk is something that all men know about and/or even take part in. She goes on to say that just because all men know about it doesn’t mean that we should accept this something that just happens. She compares it to people using racial slurs when talking about people who are black.  I remember how there was absolutely a moment in American history where the civil rights movement powered a hard left turn, where white people talking about black people in polite company, where using the once tossed around N word in front of another white person became cause for lawsuit, firing, social suicide, exclusion.(Soloway p8) This example of how white Americans used to talk about black Americans when they were behind closed doors has become a huge issue in today’s society even though how men talk about women in the same type of context has not. Her point is that if a white person was to talk to another white person behind closed doors it could lead to punishments of all kinds. However, if a man talks to another man behind closed doors it is considered “bro code” to just joke and play along or not say anything. This issue is not being talked about which is what Allen Johnson is talking about in his article “Privilege, Power, and Difference.”  Johnson talks about how we aren’t discussing the issue and how “you can’t deal with a problem if you don’t name it;”(Johnson p11) Because men have the “bro code” and either don’t talk about the “locker room” talk or if they do talk about it they are ostracized for it, they don’t do anything to try to stop this. Sadly the other catch twenty-two is that the people, who would speak out against it (woman), aren’t usually in the “locker room” conversation so they don’t hear it as often. (Even though most know it happens) The issue here is that we need to make a change with how women are talked about and not just the ones that are close to use but all women.

                The other Article by Chozick talks about Hilary Clinton and how as a society we have bias toward things. This can relate to Delpit in the sense that Clinton is breaking the “codes or power” in this country by being female and running for President of the country, which has been a “mans” job from the start of the country. Clinton even went on record saying “she does not have the natural oratory skills of her husband or President Obama, has been tailoring her voice and tone for years.”(Chozick p3) This is a perfect example of the next potential President of the United States, admitting to conforming to the “codes of power” to help her achieve a goal that should be obtainable regardless of her gender. Sadly in this case her way of speaking is criticized and critiqued by people in the country for the first time ever just because she is under such scrutiny in the public eye.  Again, this is a catch twenty-two which seems to be the theme this week, since if she does not conform to the “codes of power”, she might not be taken as seriously to begin with and if she does conform she gets ridiculed for it. Chozicks point in her article goes slightly deeper into this issue stating that if Hilary were a man this issue of her speaking patterns would never even be brought up. In this case I personally think we need to look at the bigger picture and not so much on  how Hilary Clinton puts inflections in her voice.